Brass being butchered

[dana590 0]

I have a johnson of course, When I took it out for its first and only time, the johnson absolutely butchered the brass. I know the rifle can do better. What is the most common cause for this? I expect it is a main spring issue. Opinions please?  If the opinion IS main spring. Can I get one or make one?  Thanks all.

[Yuccacapt343 0]

How far is the rifle ejecting the brass?

[Dutch2 0]

The spring spring should be 12 inches long,as they get old the may lose some of their tension and become shorter causing the extraction the be more violent and thus harder on the brass.

Mine was about 11 1/2 " but I cheated and stretched it to just over 12" and the rifle cycles perfectly,the bras is not mangled ,the only thing is a small dimple left in the base from hitting the ejector.

I just put the affected cases in the lathe and a quick touch up with a small file takes care of that.

[ArtR 0]

ebay option

[dana590 0]

@Art. Thank you so much. I have been scouring the internet, including Ebay with NO luck. I look forward now to getting the old girl out, fixing her up and taking her out for a spin.  Thanks to all for your insights and advice.

[Lucky Charms 0]

I’m having a similar problem. I did replace my old recoil spring (11 1/2”) with a new one. I’m shooting M2 ball equivalent ammo. Replacing the spring didn’t improve the damage to the brass. One thing I noticed, while disassembling the rifle, is that there isn’t a cross bar for the recoil spring tube. It’s held in place by friction where the hole in the stock narrows. Is this normal for sporters? Any specs for how far back to set the tube? The rifle shoots well and functions reliably. I’m concerned about potential damage to the rifle. Also, it would be nice to be able to reload the brass.  Thanks!

[ArtR 0]

I will let others comment on the recoil spring cross bar. However, the photos of your brass do not show significant damage that I would say would prevent you from reloading it. The case mouth will be reformed during resizing, and the body dents will reform when fired.

[eb in oregon 0]

3 hours ago, Lucky Charms said:

I’m having a similar problem. I did replace my old recoil spring (11 1/2”) with a new one. I’m shooting M2 ball equivalent ammo. Replacing the spring didn’t improve the damage to the brass. One thing I noticed, while disassembling the rifle, is that there isn’t a cross bar for the recoil spring tube. It’s held in place by friction where the hole in the stock narrows. Is this normal for sporters? Any specs for how far back to set the tube? The rifle shoots well and functions reliably. I’m concerned about potential damage to the rifle. Also, it would be nice to be able to reload the brass.  Thanks!

 

Your brass doesn't look all that bad, as Art mentioned it is perfectly re-usable. The indent from the ejector seems a bit much but that could be the recoil spring. Many people forget that the JSAR was a battle rifle and reclaiming the brass wasn't important. To the military the appearance of the brass is meaningless as it is considered disposable. You might check the extractor for damage or burrs. 

[Lucky Charms 0]

Thanks for the comments. I’ll try reloading the brass and see how it goes. I’ve only reloaded for bolt rifles, so I’m not used to brass looking like that. 

[eb in oregon 0]

13 hours ago, Lucky Charms said:

Thanks for the comments. I’ll try reloading the brass and see how it goes. I’ve only reloaded for bolt rifles, so I’m not used to brass looking like that. 

You might end up filing some small burrs, but then it will still shoot. And brass from a semi-auto compared to a bolt gun can range from "that's ugly" to "Holy Molly." If it chambers it will shoot. Just not so many times.